Beth Linker on Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America

Jackson Lears' 'No Place of Grace' explores the cultural and intellectual responses to modernization in America from 1880 to 1920. It examines how Americans grappled with the perceived loss of meaning and authenticity in an increasingly industrialized and bureaucratic society. Lears analyzes the emergence of various cultural movements, including the Arts and Crafts movement, the rediscovery of medievalism, and the embrace of aestheticism, as attempts to reclaim a sense of grace and moral order. The book argues that these movements reflected a deep ambivalence about modernity and a longing for a more integrated and meaningful way of life. Through its exploration of cultural history, 'No Place of Grace' offers insights into the enduring tensions between tradition and modernity in American society.